When you think of Valentine's Day you probably think of flowers, chocolates, and notes sealed with a kiss - not whipping women with dead animals or martyrdom. But it turns out this sweet and loving commercial holiday has its roots in pagan rituals and good old-fashioned Christian rebranding. Oh, and selling you cards.

For many couples, Valentine's Day plans have a solid template: Go out for a romantic dinner, come home and have romantic and sexy sex. As long as you don't mind the societally mandated nature of the evening, it sounds pretty nice.

This Valentine's Day, you may have arranged a fancy meal for your loved one. You've budgeted for everything: A few appetisers, entreés and a stealthily split dessert. When you get to the restaurant, the lighting is just right, the music is soothing, and you're feeling pretty good about where the night may lead. And then the waiter brings you the wine menu.

Spotify, a service for turning your music listening habits into public content, analysed thousands of user playlists themed on love, sex, heartache or hating Valentine's Day, and made four Top 10 playlists of the most commonly featured songs.

In times past, it was pretty easy for an aspiring suitor to establish their culinary cred: simply take one’s Valentine down the road for the local version of surf 'n' turf and order a bottle of Lancers or Blue Nun to wash it down. Job done.

How times have changed. The interest in food TV has created a whole generation of home and wannabe restaurant Masterchefs. And wine has also been swept along: “natural”, “alternative” and biodynamic are les mots du jour.

Valentine's Day is a holiday that can't escape symbolism and, besides hearts, roses are the most recognisable supposed sign of love and affection associated with February 14. You can give a dozen or so, sure, but if you like your gifts to be a little more edible, consider working a little rose water into your cooking.

Whether made with cheese or chocolate, fondue has a kind of cheesy, finicky reputation. But in spite of its kitsch, dipping bits of food in gooey, melted fromage or dark, liquid chocolate makes for a fun, flirty, surprisingly low-effort meal.

Love is a complex and powerful force, one that plays out in a number of emotional, cognitive and social ways. According to the late psychologist John Alan Lee, there are six broad styles of love: Agape, Ludus, Storge, Eros, Mania and Pragma. We look at each in turn to help you determine the type of lover you are and the type of lover you need.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. Valentine's Day will be here soon but, rather than make a bubbly, rose-scented cocktail, I've decided to enlist the sinister blood orange for a less twee take on the holiday.

Hello friends, and welcome back to Will It Sous Vide?, the column where I usually make whatever you want me to with my immersion circulator. Today we're making a sexy little dish that's impressive without requiring a whole lot of effort on your part: Sous vide lobster tails.

If you're like me, you jump at any occasion to go out to a fancy dinner. Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity; it isn't your birthday or anniversary, but you can easily justify a special meal with your significant other.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's time to start planning a fabulous spread for your significant other. Assuming they aren't lactose intolerant, a cheese platter is a pretty good way to go - but only if you don't skimp on quality. As luck would have it, the 2018 Australian Grand Dairy Awards have already done the hard work for you.

Valentine's Day falls on February 14. It has always fallen on February 14. By now the date should be burned in your memory. And yet, a sizeable chunk of lovers continuously forget that they're supposed to do something romantic and/or thoughtful until the very last minute. Tch.

It is, ironically, difficult to have a pleasant date night on Valentine's Day, when every "nice" restaurant replaces their normal menu with a mandatory and expensive prix fixe. Some couples actually like those dinners, and have a fun pre-packaged date night. Other couples like to cook at home, or to ignore the holiday altogether. But if you want to have a typical "date night" out on February 14, your options will feel limited. Here's how to navigate that strait.

I love a Whitman's sampler, but I buy those for myself February 15, when they are half-price. Though I'm not one to turn down a box of chocolate on Valentine's Day, giving them can feel a little impersonal, and we can do better.

Whether you're married, dating or single, Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to score cheap discounts as online merchants look to capitalise on the day of love. From free premium Porn Hub access (no, really) to 150 half-price restaurants, these are the best deals you can buy right now.

There's nothing more romantic than wine and chocolate -- as long as the pairing is right. Here are some useful suggestions from an expert in the field.

If you want to earn extra style points this upcoming Valentine's Day, the right soundtrack for the evening can help. You can find a playlist to go along with dinner somewhere else. Here, we have one for what comes after.

There’s only one day a year that’s devoted to impressing your loved one, and Valentine’s Day for many can be a daunting experience. To help ease the culinary burden, I’ve created this easy to prepare and delicious beef recipe to help impress any date this Valentine’s Day.